Name: Date:
StudentExploration:CoulombForce (Static)
Directions: Follow the instructions to go through the simulation. Respond to the questions and
prompts in the orange boxes.
Vocabulary: Coulomb’s law, electrostatic force, vector
Prior Knowledge Questions (Do these BEFORE using the Gizmo.). Have you ever taken clothes out of
the dryer and found a sock stuck to your underwear? Static cling is an example of electrostaticforces, or
the forces that exist between charged objects.
1. How do you think the sock and underwear became charged?
While they were in the dryer the electrons from other items transferred to other items
2. Suppose two socks acquire the same charge. Do you think they would stick together? Explain:
They won’t stick together because they both would have the same charge
Gizmo Warm-up
As clothes are tumbled in a dryer, electrons are rubbed off
some items, giving them a positive charge, and deposited
on other items, giving them a negative charge. These
charged items exert electrostatic forces on one another.
You can explore these forces with the Coulomb Force
(Static) Gizmo.
In its initial settings, the Gizmo shows two objects that each have a charge (q) of 10.0 × 10-4 C (coulombs).
Turn on the Show force vector checkboxes for objects A and B. The arrows coming from each object are
vectors that represent the electrostatic force. The direction and length of each vector show the direction
and magnitude (strength) of each force.
1. Are the vectors for objects A and B pointing together or away from each other?
Away from eachother
2. Are objects A and B attracted together or repelled apart?
they are repelled apart
3. Compare the lengths of the vectors. What do you notice?
The length of both vectors are equal
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, Get the Gizmoready:
Activity A: ● Turn on Show grid. Place object A on the x-axis at
-5 and object B on the x-axis at +5.
The effect of
charge ● Check that Show force vector is turned on for
each object.
Question: How does charge affect the strength of the electrostatic force?
1. Observe: You can change the charge of each object by entering the desired value in the qA and qB
boxes. Observe the force vectors for each of the situations listed in the table below. Based on the force
vectors, state whether the objects are repelled from one another, attracted to one another, or if there is
no force at all.
qA qB Attraction, repulsion, or no force?
1.0 × 10-4 C 1.0 × 10-4 C repulsion
-1.0 × 10-4 C 1.0 × 10-4 C attraction
-1.0 × 10-4 C -1.0 × 10-4 C repulsion
1.0 × 10-4 C 0.0 × 10-4 C no force
2. Make arule: Complete the following sentences with the words “attract,” “repel,” or “zero.”
When the charges are the same, the two objects repel one another.
When the charges are opposite, the two objects attract one another.
When one of the objects has no charge, the resulting force is zero.
3. Predict: How do you think the magnitude of the electrostatic force between two objects will change if
the charge of each object was doubled?
THe electrostatic force will increase by half
4. Measure: Turn on Show vector notation for both objects. Set the charge of objects A and B to 1.0 ×
10-4 C. The force on object A is now -0.90i + 0j N. That means that the force is
-0.90 N in the x direction and 0 N in the y direction.
A. What is the magnitude of the force on object A? |FA| = 0.9N
B. What is the magnitude of the force on object B? |FB| = 0.9N
C. The force on object A is negative. What does this indicate about the direction of the force?
The negative force indicates the force on A points to the left
5. Gatherdata: For each charge combination listed in the table below, write magnitude of the force on
This study sourcR
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https://www.stuvia.com/
StudentExploration:CoulombForce (Static)
Directions: Follow the instructions to go through the simulation. Respond to the questions and
prompts in the orange boxes.
Vocabulary: Coulomb’s law, electrostatic force, vector
Prior Knowledge Questions (Do these BEFORE using the Gizmo.). Have you ever taken clothes out of
the dryer and found a sock stuck to your underwear? Static cling is an example of electrostaticforces, or
the forces that exist between charged objects.
1. How do you think the sock and underwear became charged?
While they were in the dryer the electrons from other items transferred to other items
2. Suppose two socks acquire the same charge. Do you think they would stick together? Explain:
They won’t stick together because they both would have the same charge
Gizmo Warm-up
As clothes are tumbled in a dryer, electrons are rubbed off
some items, giving them a positive charge, and deposited
on other items, giving them a negative charge. These
charged items exert electrostatic forces on one another.
You can explore these forces with the Coulomb Force
(Static) Gizmo.
In its initial settings, the Gizmo shows two objects that each have a charge (q) of 10.0 × 10-4 C (coulombs).
Turn on the Show force vector checkboxes for objects A and B. The arrows coming from each object are
vectors that represent the electrostatic force. The direction and length of each vector show the direction
and magnitude (strength) of each force.
1. Are the vectors for objects A and B pointing together or away from each other?
Away from eachother
2. Are objects A and B attracted together or repelled apart?
they are repelled apart
3. Compare the lengths of the vectors. What do you notice?
The length of both vectors are equal
This stuRdeypsrooudru
cectw
ioans fdoorwendlouacdaetdiobnyal1u0s0e
00o0n8l1y8.8P3u3b9l9ic1 sfrhoamrinCgouorrsepH
osertion.g
copmroohnib0i3te-1d7.-©
20220
32007:E
04x:p4l4orG
eM 00™ All rights reserved
LeTar-n0i5n:g
https://www.stuvia.com/
, Get the Gizmoready:
Activity A: ● Turn on Show grid. Place object A on the x-axis at
-5 and object B on the x-axis at +5.
The effect of
charge ● Check that Show force vector is turned on for
each object.
Question: How does charge affect the strength of the electrostatic force?
1. Observe: You can change the charge of each object by entering the desired value in the qA and qB
boxes. Observe the force vectors for each of the situations listed in the table below. Based on the force
vectors, state whether the objects are repelled from one another, attracted to one another, or if there is
no force at all.
qA qB Attraction, repulsion, or no force?
1.0 × 10-4 C 1.0 × 10-4 C repulsion
-1.0 × 10-4 C 1.0 × 10-4 C attraction
-1.0 × 10-4 C -1.0 × 10-4 C repulsion
1.0 × 10-4 C 0.0 × 10-4 C no force
2. Make arule: Complete the following sentences with the words “attract,” “repel,” or “zero.”
When the charges are the same, the two objects repel one another.
When the charges are opposite, the two objects attract one another.
When one of the objects has no charge, the resulting force is zero.
3. Predict: How do you think the magnitude of the electrostatic force between two objects will change if
the charge of each object was doubled?
THe electrostatic force will increase by half
4. Measure: Turn on Show vector notation for both objects. Set the charge of objects A and B to 1.0 ×
10-4 C. The force on object A is now -0.90i + 0j N. That means that the force is
-0.90 N in the x direction and 0 N in the y direction.
A. What is the magnitude of the force on object A? |FA| = 0.9N
B. What is the magnitude of the force on object B? |FB| = 0.9N
C. The force on object A is negative. What does this indicate about the direction of the force?
The negative force indicates the force on A points to the left
5. Gatherdata: For each charge combination listed in the table below, write magnitude of the force on
This study sourcR
e ewparsoddouw
ctniolonadfoerd ebdyu1c0a0t0io0n0a8l1u
88s3e3o9n9l1y.frPoumbC
licousrhsaeH
rineg
roo
.cropmoosntin0g3-p1r7o-h2i0b2it3e0d7.:©
042:4042G
0MExTp-l0o5re:0L0earning™ All rights reserved
https://www.stuvia.com/
